Thursday, March 10, 2011

Mimi Bleu

It's so exciting to have a guest blogger, but even more special that it's Mimi Bleu from Bonjour Romance.Mimi was one of the connections I made early in my blogging adventure, and she has continued to be a wonderful friend and source of inspiration. She has not only created a beautiful blog where she shares all the things she loves - French decor, love, romance, anything vintage, old-fashioned and glamorous, but now Mimi is the creative talent behind Belle Inspiration e-Magazine.

I invited Mimi to share her story and her 'new' inspiration.

This is the image that started my love affair with Belle Inspiration.

How was your Magazine started? A lot of research, hard work and sleepless nights went into the premier issue in September 2010. After months of agonising over it, I took the plunge and announced the idea on my blog, Bonjour Romance. I was completely unprepared for the positive response and encouragement to "go for it." That is just what I did, and I am so glad I did!

What motivated you to start your Magazine? It was the culmination of a longtime dream. A desire to bring a different kind of magazine to women. How many times have you read a magazine and felt short changed because you just read the same old thing you had read dozens of times before. I wanted to change that, and give readers something they could really look forward to, knowing that each issue would be unique.

What is the mission behind your Magazine? A place to create, share, and embrace l'art de la vivre. Belle Inspiration has an emphasis on a romantic style of living that is both practical and classic, combining beautiful words and images. Or, to put it more simply - We like to say Belle Inspiration is your rendez vous with good taste and style.

Where did you come up with your magazine's name, what does it mean? 'Belle' means beautiful in French - Beautiful Inspiration - I felt that name embodied all we were trying to create.

What are your plans for your magazine in the future? Currently we are an online publication, but I am very excited to announce that we are now working to bring Belle into the print world. Many of our readers prefer the digital version for the reasons above, but we still receive many requests for a print magazine. Our goal is to unveil Belle in print this Summer. We also plan to offer an app for ipads and iphones.

How have you been able to balance your blog and your online magazine?It has actually worked together seemlessly. Bonjour Romance is where I share a more personal side of being an American in Paris, chronicling things I love as well as my adventures in Paris. Belle Inspiration is a collaboration of an incredible team of international contributors all sharing the beauty around them.

What makes your online magazine unique?I believe it is the wide variety of articles - we usually work around a theme with each issue, but we do not limit all our features to that. Belle Inspiration gives contributors free reign to write and photograph what they truly love. I think that comes across in each article and phot. Thankfully, the response has been overwhelming from both subscribers and advertisors.

Describe your reader, who is your target audience? Our motto is "Celebrating La Joie de Vivre", and that appeals to virtually every woman, regardless of age. Our readers are women who are looking for beauty and inspiration - an online escape. I always end the Editor's Letter in the magazine with the phrase "Because a woman loves so many things..."

What are the advantages/disadvantages of e mags over traditional print magazines?Online magazines have the wonderful advantage of offering clickable links to take readers directly to the blogs and boutiques, the ability to view embedded videos, and my favorite is the way the images are spread across the screen without the center line. Digital mags also have the added benefit of being 'clutter-free'. Today many of us are trying to edit and organise our 'stuff', so a digital mag is perfect.There are still quite alot of readers wha are waiting to have a beautiful print copy, that is why we want to give all readers a choice that will best suit their needs.

For those that might be unfamiliar, can you explain your tag line: CELEBRATING LA JOIE DE VIVRE? It is French for Celebrating the joy of living! Belle Inspiration is based in Paris France, and I have been inspired by the unique way the French do just that!Online March 15th! If you don't have your subscription yet, click here!

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW

"The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity."~Margaret D. Nadauld

Images Used On This Blog

Images used on this post that are scanned, re-formatted, or used in any way are credited to the source when possible. If I have failed to credit an image or used an images the owner wishes to have removed, please email me and I will make immediate correction and/or citation. rkmcclary@sbcglobal.net